O2 has apologised to the small number of customers who suffered a service outage this morning.
The network invited its "highest spending" customers the chance to pre-order iPhone 4's ahead of the official launch.
But an upset Reg reader woke this morning to find no service on his iPhone. He had been contacted by O2 with an …

COMMENTS

All customers are equal in the eyes of O2

Early - on DHLs terms?

"But surely missing a few phone calls is a small price to pay for the honour of an early iPhone 4?"

How is it early if you get it on the day of release and you get it whenever DHL deems you worthy of delivery? (which in my latest experience is whenever the driver decides to finish his game of football with whatever he's delivering)

money talks

Whoopey-Do. I'm sooooo underwhelmed!

I wouldn't have any smartphone / smartpad / smartwhatever by Apple if you paid me. They're locked into the "AppStore", thus preventing a true free market for software ("Apps" indeed, ptptptptpt), Apple won't even trust customers to be able to replace a worn out battery (return to workshop), and the less said about the "cool" bandwagon, the better.

booom - but not from me

it couldn't have happened

Hmm

I'm an O2 customer with an iPhone and my contract's up for renewal this month. It seems that I am unworthy to receive the pre-order offer. I was planning on queueing up outside one of their less popular stores tomorrow to see if I could get lucky but they can go fornicate themselves if they think I'm paying to be treated like a second-class customer.

And this queue-up-at-the-store-and-take-your-chances bullshit is getting old.

You're not the only one

The missus has an 8Gb 3G J-Phone on O2 (£36/mo with texts bolt on), and has been an O2 customer for ~10 years. After 18 months of 3G fun, a plan to purchase a 4G was on the cards (I'm on Android myself but who am I to criticise?!)

A move to join me on Vodafone was considered and the call was made to get the PAC to move networks. I know there are no special deals on the J-Phone (Lets face it, Jesus would never ask his Steveness for a discount so who are we mere mortals to expect one), but no effort was made to encourage the missus to stay with O2 at all. The PAC was ordered and that was it. There was certainly no special invite like this.

When I've called Orange or Voda for a PAC (even a PAYT that gets used about once a year) even though the PAC was handed over, they at least tried to sell me a better plan or encourage me to stay.

So yes, I suggest you tell O2 to Foxtrot Oscar. I think this is their secret big plan to 'improve' their network. They slowly bleed away the expendable low spenders to other different networks, and do all they can to keep the higher spenders who have a better network experience as a result of the quieter network.

I'll look elsewhere

I suppose I can see why O2 have done it - got to keep the big spenders happy - but the slightly insulting attitude towards the rest of us customers means that I'll be asking for my PAC and moving to those very, very attractive tariffs with Tesco Mobile - complete with a contract that's only twelve months.

Meanwhile, I think I can probably wait for the beta testers to sort out the glitches in the new hardware.

@paulf

Erm, calm down. She buys the cheapest iPhone and spend £34 per month (where the big boy tariffs can be £70) and you expect her to be the top of their list? Get a grip. I'm guessing they targeted their top 1-5% and you won't even come close. You also know that Apple sets the tariffs and that there was no room to negotiate on price but you expected... what?

o2 iphone glitch

Risk

"“We are offering some of our highest spending customers the opportunity to place their order ahead of the 24th and receive the device tomorrow."

This customer base expect good service. What a cock-up. Surprised they didn't try and blame the England world cup game for generating excessive traffic on their network.... might have fooled these customers...

Pointlessly snide, give it up, it's well old already!

What a snide piece of journalism. My iPhone4 was purchased at 10.15 yesterday and while my SIM was activated 4pm, I am still waiting for network connectivity which is a pain but understandable given demand.

Do people ever tire of describing the world's nicest to use handset, with countless functions and a great aesthetic appeal, as a 'toy' when they don't want one, don't own one and simply resent others not finding their own preferred bricks attractive?

Never mind live and let live. How about phone and let phone? If you wanna gripe, gripe about the economy, climate change, war, disaster... But phones you don't want and don't use? Get a grip on reality.